Never Give You Up (Snakes Henchmen MC 4)

I asked him what had been said, and he told me not to think about it again, it was all sorted, the police would back off and leave it all to him. I couldn't give two shits what he does he owns half the damn country as it is, why the hell wouldn't he own the police force as well as the FBI, MIA, fuckin' CIA.

I'd laugh, but it isn't too far-fetched. These Don's have more power than people think. There is nothing a man like Draven Vidal can't control. Control is everything to him, I've seen it first hand more times than I can count since meeting him.

There are some who would like to take him out, good people with good morals who want to rid the world of men like Vidal. Evil men who want to take over his business. However, it's not often you can take down a man like Draven Vidal through the law. Not when there are more corrupt cops and whatnot out there than there is good. Plus, men like him are often three steps ahead of the law.

It's hard for bad men to take him down even through another famiglia. Those pricks stick together if they know what's good for them. Draven Vidal has a good reputation with other Crime Families. They show him respect, and he shows them the same thing.

He can control the world for all I care, but when it comes to Maria? She's my wife, and he can't control that or anything around it.

Control. I feel like I've lost that right now. I'm an inch away from losing the love of my life and have no fucking control over it, but then, I guess no one has any control over things like this.

I've watched many a brother lose his shit over his woman being hurt, or worse. I've felt it each time, especially when Willow was kidnapped and tortured. She's not my sister by blood, but she's my sister in every other sense. We grew up together; I spent my life protecting her. I felt my world crumbling thinking I'd lose her. Nova held me up, it wasn't her job to do so, she's my baby sister, yet she did it anyway. She's probably the strongest woman I have ever known.

However, as much as that hurt me, I never realized how much worse it was for the man who loved her, even if he tried to deny what he felt for her at the time. Hammer was in so much pain, and now I know how he felt. It was the same when my mother was kidnapped by her ex a few years ago. I couldn't comprehend how that felt for my father.

However, I understand now. I understand the utterly helpless feeling inside. The not knowing what to do to fix everything. A man can fight – and he will to the death for the woman he loves – but there's nothing for me to fight against right now. You can't fight fate, and if fate decides that I lose my wife and child, then there isn't a damn fucking thing I can do about it, and that's the worst kind of hell for any man.

This room seems too fucking small all of a sudden. There are too many people in such a small space. I feel like I'm suffocating. What the fuck are they doing here? I know they all care about Maria, but she's my wife, I don't want all these people here!

I rest my head back against the wall I'm standing in front of, and take a deep breath. The big window is open, and I breathe in the fresh breeze. I need the air or I might flip. I'm feeling a little claustrophobic. This room is nothing but a square with a few hard plastic chairs, a window, and a small coffee table.

Vidal is standing in the far right corner talking to Hammer, Willow right beside him, his arm around her. Tank and Nova are whispering about something or other with Ghost and Avery. My parents are sitting on a couple of the hard chairs. Both of them silent, holding hands.

A handful of Vidal's men are also here, talking with him and Hammer. I really should be over there; they're talking about my wife and what happened. I don't have it in me to give a shit what any of them have to say. I'm grateful that Hammer did what he did when he did it, but I'm not in the mood for anything.

Whom will I be if I lose her?

I never gave it much thought before now.

I rake my fingers through my hair just as my mother comes to stand beside me. “I know it doesn't seem like it right at this moment in time, but Maria is going to get through this.” She rubs my arm in that motherly way she does. “You're both going to get through this, Jett.”

I turn to look at her. I'm a man, and when I say that, I mean a man. I don't ask anybody for anything. I take care of myself. I take care of my family. However, I'm not going to lie I need to lean on somebody right now.

“What if I lose her, Mom?”

“Oh, sweetheart. I know you're frightened. You'd be inhuman if you weren't, and I'd be a fool to stand here and tell you not to be worried, that everything will be okay, but you are not alone, darlin'. Mommy is here with you, and I will never leave you.”

I wrap my arms around her and turn my face away from the room. I ain't no pussy ass motherfucker, but I'm not a liar either, and I'd be a liar if I said tears weren't falling from my eyes.

“Mr. Jackson?”

I pull away from my mother, quickly wipe my eyes, and make my way to the young doctor calling my name. She's around my age, red-headed, glasses, short, kinda cute in a geeky kind of way. Not an ounce of fear in her eyes or posture at the fact she's in a room with not only a bunch of scary bikers but a Mafia Don and men who work for him. This shit is enough to scare anybody.

“Yes. How is she?” There's an urgency to my voice. Why the fuck wouldn't there be?

She smiles kindly. “She's absolutely fine.” Oh, thank fuck! “But I must stress that it was touch and go with your baby for a while there. Maria had lost quite a lot of blood. We managed to stop the bleeding quickly, but we then struggled to stabilize Maria's pain level's, which was causing stress to the baby.”

I don't understand what the hell she's trying to tell me. I think the confused look on my face speaks volumes to everyone in the room now looking at me. “What does all this mean?”

“It means that I'd like to keep Maria here for a few days just to monitor her.”

“And the baby?” I swallow hard. I've never felt so sick in my entire life.

“She's hanging on in there.”

I breathe deeply, a sudden rush of sickness and heat is taking me. Everyone around me lets out the same big breath I just did.

“Now, her heartbeat is a little slow, hence why I'd like to monitor both mother and baby for a few days.”

“But Maria is going to be okay?” Draven butts in.

“Yes, Mr. Vidal. Maria is going to be just fine.”

“Thank god,” Hammer mumbles and hugs Willow to him.

Doctor Jenkins addresses me again. “Your wife would like to see you.” Not half as much as I want to see her.

After a lot of, Give her my love, and, Tell her I'll be in to see her soon, I make my way to my wife's room. I have to give myself a minute before I go in there. My emotions are getting the better of me. I know the doctor said she'd be okay, but I feel so overwhelmed by the fact I could easily have lost her today that I feel like I might throw up. I never want to feel like this again for as long as I live.

There's nothing I won't do from this day forward to keep Maria safe. I don't care what I have to do for that to happen; I'll do it, ain't nobody gonna hurt her again.

I'm well aware that every man on this earth says that when it comes to his woman, but each and every one of us means it. But not everyone will fuckin' kill another if he so much as looks at his girl. I will. Literally. In the worst ways imaginable.

A nurse is injecting something into Maria's IV when I walk into the room. She notices me right away, a smile on her face, her hand held out to me. She may be sitting up in a hospital bed, battered and scared after everything that's happened to her today, but she's still smiling.

I make my way to her bedside, taking her hand and bringing it to my mouth to kiss her knuckles. I stroke her hair back from her forehead and she sighs contently. “How are you feeling?”

“Mmm...” Is all she manages with a smile on her face. Her eyes seem a little glassy like she's drunk, and I can't help but smile.

I look at the nurse who's chuckling to herself. “You'll have to bear with her, she's been through a lot in the last hour or s

o. Prodded and poked. Pumped full of this and that. She's just woken from the anesthesia she was given so the doctor could insert some stitches in the base of her uterus.”

“What the hell for?” Jesus that sounds invasive as fuck!

“Maria's uterus had a little tear, that's why she was bleeding so much. The stitches will help strengthen that part. Even though your baby could be born right now and be fine, the doctor would rather she stay inside her mother just a little longer. A tear like the one Maria experienced could cause problems for both of them. Anything we can do to help mom and baby, we'll do it.”

“So what now?”

“We're going to keep Maria here for a few days so she can rest and heal. Then she'll be allowed to go home. She'll need to take it very easy for the remained of her pregnancy.”

“She will. Believe me.” There's no way I'm letting her so much as get out of bed until Jessica is born. No fucking arguments.

“Good.” She smiles.

“Stop flirting... My husband.” Maria is looking right at the nurse with a serious expression on her face, her words slurred.